Washingr-machine



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIOE.

DAVID ELLIOT, OF PEMBROKE, NEW HAMPSHIRE, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF, AND ISAACWHITE, OF MERRIMACK COUNTY, NEW' HAMPSHIRE.

WASHING-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 18,721, dated November 24, 1857'.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, DAVID ELLIOT, of Pembroke, in the county ofMerrimack and State of New Hampshire, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Machines for IVaShing and Squeezing Clothes; andI do hereby declare that the same are described and represented in thefollowing specification and drawings.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my improvements Iwill proceed to describe their construction and operation referring tothe drawings in which the same letters indicate like parts in each ofthe figures.

Figure l, is an elevation of one side of a machine with my improvements.Fig. 2, is an elevation of one end of the same. Fig. 3, is a sectionthrough the line h h of Fig. 2. Fig. 4L, is a section through the line YY of Fig. l.

The nature of my invention and improvements in machines for washing andsqueezing clothes, consists of a tub or vat, with ycorrugated parallelsides and semicircular bottom, in connection with one or more corrugatedsemicircular rubbers, arranged on a traversing axle provided with aspring or springs for forcing the rubbers toward one side of the vat,and producing the required pressure on the clothes being washed orsqueezed.

In the accompanying drawings A, A, are the sides, B, B, the ends and C,the semicircular or curved bottom of the tub, all of which are fastenedfirmly together, and provided with four legs D, D, D, D, which supportit. The interior of the sides A, A, are corrugated by means of thecleats E, E, shown in Fig. 3. These sides are also per foratedfor theshaft F, which turns and traverses freely in them to support the rubbersG, G, which are fitted to traverse freely upon the shaft; and the rubberGr, may be locked to the shaft when desired by the key H, Figs. 3, and4. These rubbers are made in a semicircular form, and corrugated on eachside by means of cleats I, I, shown in Fig. 3, either radially as shownin whole lines, or parallel as shown in dotted lines. There is a leverprojecting upward from each of the rubbers G, G, and terminating inhandles J, J, as shown in the drawings by which they are worked by theoperator. The collar K is loose on the shaft F, and prevents the rubberG, from coming in contact with the side of the tub. The coiled spring Lacts against the side A, and the pin M, in the shaft to force therubbers against the clothes.

The tub is supplied with water and the clothes properly prepared withsoap or otherwise, are a part of them put between the rubber G, and theside of the tub next to it when the rubber is pressed against them; andthe rubber G, is pushed to the opposite side of the tub and held therecompressing the spring L and the other portion of the clothes are putbetween the rubbers, and the rubber Gr, released, so as to be drawnagainst the clothes by the spring L, and press the clothes against therubber G, which is loose on the shaft F, so that it is pressed againstthe clothes first put in between it and the side of the tub. Theoperator now takes one of the handles J, J, in each hand and pushes onefrom him, while he draws the other towards him, and vibrates themalternately back and forth, working the rubbers against the clothes, soas to wash them very quick, with very little labor; as there is verylittle friction except the friction of the rubbers against the clothesin the water; so that nearly all. the force or labor of the operator isexerted on the clothes, to wash them and very little upon the workingparts of the machine.

Then the clothes are properly and sufficiently washed, the plug N, maybe drawn out and the water drawn out and a fresh supply put in, and therubbers worked to rinse the clothes; when they are rinsed t-he plug N,may be drawn again and the water allowed to run off, while the rubbersare worked to squeeze the water out of the clothes, so as to save thetime and labor of wringing them. After the water has been squeezed outby the rubbers the clothes are ready to be dried. By changing the pin M,to some one of the holes in the shaft F, the pressure of the rubbers maybe adjusted to suit the change of clothes to be washed, and the pressureof the rubbers may be increased by the same means to squeeze the wat-erout of the clothes after they are washed or rinsed. As the clothesbecome soft by being wet and washed by the rubbers and yield to therubbers, the rubbers are constantly drawn against them by the spring L,so as to always Work upon them to the best advantage. The spring L,might be applied to the shaft'betvveen the side of the tub and therubber Gr in the tub; but I prefer to apply it outside of the tub asabove mentioned.

I believe I have described the improvements which I have invented, inmachines for Washing and squeezing clothes so as to enable any personskilled in the art t0 make and use them. I Will now state What I desireto secure by Letters Patent t0 Wit. l

I claim- A tub 0r Vat With corrugated parallel sides and a semicireularor curved bottom in combination With semieireular rubbers corrugated ontheir sides and arranged to traverse on the aXle or on a traversingaxle, provided with a spring to draw the rubbers one towards the otherand both t0- Wards one side of the vat substantially in the mannerdescribed for the purpose of Washing and squeezing clothes.

DAVID ELLIOT.

Witnesses:

DANL L. STEVENS, DANIEL M. ROBERTSON.

